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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176915">And I'm a Fool (For Waiting So Long to Let You Know)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightshade/pseuds/starrynightshade'>starrynightshade</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A Song of Ice and Fire &amp; Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Based on a Tumblr Post, F/M, Marriage Proposal, proposal scam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:20:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,982</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26176915</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightshade/pseuds/starrynightshade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I bet you I can get us free drinks,” Gendry said, perusing the dessert menu as he finished his last few bites of dinner.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a nice restaurant, not a sports bar, dummy. You can’t just flash your tits and get free drinks.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have never flashed my tits for drinks,” he said sternly.</p><p> </p><p>Arya shrugged. “That makes one of us.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Arya Stark/Gendry Waters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>196</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>And I'm a Fool (For Waiting So Long to Let You Know)</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weltverbessererin/gifts">Weltverbessererin</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by a prompt on tumblr. Title from "Come Around to Me" by Rosi Golan.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Based on <a href="https://welt-verbessererin.tumblr.com/post/626457062554189824/it-started-as-a-joke-to-get-a-free-dessert-or">this post</a> by Laura. Arya's ring inspo found <a href="https://www.topazery.com/item/Asscher-Cut-Diamond-Antique-Engagement-Ring-rg1081/">here</a>.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Gendry proposed for the first time in her third year of university. </p><p> </p><p>They were both just barely scraping by, trying to prove that they could make their own way without their parents’ money. Arya had dragged Gendry to the restaurant where their friend Hot Pie worked for his birthday despite Gendry’s protests. It was a nice, candlelit place that they could only afford because their friend gave them a steep discount. Arya didn’t like to take advantage of his generosity, but for her best friend in the world, she would find a way to make it up to Hot Pie someday.</p><p> </p><p>“I bet you I can get us free drinks,” Gendry said, perusing the dessert menu as he finished his last few bites of dinner.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a nice restaurant, not a sports bar, dummy. You can’t just flash your tits and get free drinks.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have never flashed my tits for drinks,” he said sternly.</p><p> </p><p>Arya shrugged. “That makes one of us.”</p><p> </p><p>“I have an idea, just go with it, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>“It better not be stupid.”</p><p> </p><p>“Just trust me,” he murmured, then cleared his throat and reached for her hand across the table.When he spoke again it was clear and a bit louder than necessary. “Arya, I know that the past few years have been crazy, and we’ve been through a lot together. There’s nobody else I’d rather have by my side through all of these highs and lows, and I know in my heart that you’re the only one for me.”</p><p> </p><p>He stood briefly, then knelt in front of her and Arya realized that half the restaurant was staring at them in near silence, waiting to see what would happen next.  </p><p> </p><p>“I’ll get a ring, I promise, but I just need to know. Arya, will you marry me?”</p><p> </p><p>She felt like she was having an out-of-body experience. The room was practically stagnant as every eye that could reach them trained itself on her face. They were all waiting for her response.</p><p> </p><p>Laughing partially out of embarrassment and partially at the sheer absurdity of the situation, Arya gave their audience the show they were expecting. “Yes! Yes, of course I will,” she said, nodding vigorously as Gendry rose to hug her tightly. She could hear the people around them clapping, but all she worried about was the smell of Gendry’s aftershave and the feeling of his dress shirt under her fingers.</p><p> </p><p>To Arya’s delight and surprise, Gendry had been right. Someone sent over an entire bottle of champagne and another onlooker sent over a waiter to offer them free dessert. By the time they left to catch the train home, they were both moderately tipsy and had received about a dozen congratulatory remarks from their fellow iners.</p><p> </p><p>“Hold on to that one, dear,” an old woman with a walker had said as her son escorted her outside. “I haven’t seen a man with that much love in his eyes since my husband passed. You two are going to have a wonderful life together.”</p><p> </p><p>And they did, Arya thought, as friends. They shared a decent apartment, Arya went to school and worked as a freelance translator to bring in extra money, and Gendry’s jewelry design business was gaining popularity with every passing month. He still took shifts at the jeweler’s a few blocks away until he could afford to open his own place, but it was good work and he liked it well enough. They took turns cooking dinner and ate takeout on friday nights, and watched movies together and fought over the popcorn bowl. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it was more than enough to make her happy.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe that worked,” she laughed as they got off at their stop.</p><p> </p><p>“I told you it would. Next time I should get a ring,” he mused.</p><p> </p><p>Arya fixed him with an incredulous look. “Next time?”</p><p> </p><p>“Come on, Arry. That was flawless! And it’s not like we’re hurting anyone.”</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know… those people all thought it was real. What if someone recognizes us or takes pictures and our families find them?”</p><p> </p><p>“There’s no way. I hardly have any family to speak of and yours are all scattered around the continent. How would that even happen?”</p><p> </p><p>She chewed her lip, mulling it over as they approached their building.</p><p> </p><p>“We won’t do it too much, just on special occasions,” he promised. “And we can ask people not to take pictures.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, just a few times,” she conceded.</p><p> </p><p>And so the tradition began.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>He didn’t propose to her again until several months later. He had finally scraped together the money for his own storefront and had insisted on taking her out to a swanky waterfront restaurant to celebrate signing on the lease. She had work to do, but she slipped into a yellow sundress and did her makeup anyway. </p><p> </p><p>“You really didn’t have to do this,” she said, even as they sipped craft beers with the bay spreading out beyond the deck they'd been seated on.</p><p> </p><p>“Arya, you’ve helped me get this business off the ground in so many ways. You help me with all the social media, you help me communicate with international clients, you even model new items and you’ve never asked for anything in return. It’s the least I can do. Besides, there was something I wanted to ask you.”</p><p> </p><p>She tilted her head at him. “What is it?”</p><p> </p><p>He stood and cleared his throat again and Arya remembered their agreement. It <em> was </em> a special occasion.</p><p> </p><p>“Arya,” he said, kneeling in front of her and drawing a small box from his pocket, “will you marry me?”</p><p> </p><p>She glanced briefly at the ring he had revealed, wondering where he had gotten it, then put on her best surprised face and nodded in agreement.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes!”</p><p> </p><p>Despite the change in venue, ther result was the same: applause, congratulations, free booze, and dessert on the house.</p><p> </p><p>It wasn’t real, but Arya couldn’t stop glancing at the new accessory on her finger. It was… not her style, though that obviously didn’t matter. It was gold with a cluster of small stones at the center and a tapered band that looked like pinched fabric. She had learned enough from Gendry to know that the color and style of the ring had been in fashion about thirty years before, but it lacked the timeless elegance of some of the older vintage pieces he sometimes sold at Mott’s.</p><p> </p><p>“Where did you get this?” she asked once they were finally on the train home. She hadn’t removed the ring and Gendry hadn’t mentioned it. Despite her indifference towards the style, she had started to grow used to the weight of it on her hand. And she found that there was a certain fondness for it growing in her heart simply because Gendry had gotten it for her. </p><p> </p><p>“Bought it a few weeks ago,” he said. “A girl came into the shop and tried to sell it, but it’s just costume jewelry. The diamonds are fake and it’s gold-plated, not solid gold. I offered her cash for it since Mott didn’t want it for the shop.”</p><p> </p><p>“So I don’t have to feel bad if I lose it?”</p><p> </p><p>“No, not at all,” he laughed. “I suppose I could make one that suits you more now that I’ve got my own shop.”</p><p> </p><p>“No,” she said a bit too forcefully.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry furrowed his brows at her.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s just that, if you gave me something that actually suited me, I wouldn't want to take it off… then people would think we’re actually engaged.”</p><p> </p><p>“I see. Guess we'll just stick with this, then.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>After that it became something of a running joke between them. He proposed on her birthday every year for the next four years, and when she graduated, and when they went out to celebrate their new apartment, when she helped him broker an expensive commission for an Essosi politician and pretty much any other time they had reason to go out and try a new fancy restaraunt. The proposal itself was always generic and the results were always the same. They didn’t even need the free drinks anymore, it was just something of a tradition.</p><p> </p><p>“I think you’ve proposed to me in half the restaurants in King’s Landing,” she laughed as they walked back toward their apartment after celebrating her new job translating for the biggest publishing company in Westeros. </p><p> </p><p>They had agreed not to repeat restaurants, in case the staff caught on to their scheme. They also had another rule: no kissing.</p><p> </p><p>They broke the second rule a few months later on vacation to Braavos. </p><p> </p><p>He did the usual, kneeling and pulling out the now familiar ring as they sat at a restaurant looking out over the crystal waters beyond. Arya gave an enthusiastic “yes” and the two hugged. They went to sit back down and the restaurant around them began ringing with the sound of cutlery tapping against glassware and fellow diners calling out in Valeryian.</p><p> </p><p>“What are they saying?”</p><p> </p><p>Arya blushed, not quite able to meet his eyes. “They want us to kiss,” she admitted. “They won’t stop until we do.”</p><p> </p><p>“I guess we better give them a show, then.” </p><p> </p><p>Arya didn’t have time to ask what he meant because Gendry was already drawing her into his arms and dipping her movie-style in the middle of the restaurant. The small crowd whooped and cheered as their lips met but Arya could hardly hear them. All that mattered was Gendry’s firm hands on her back and his soft lips against her own. </p><p> </p><p>After what might have been a moment, or maybe an entire hour, he lifted her back into a standing position and pulled away, leaving Arya feeling suddenly cold despite the warm sun. And maybe she was imagining it, but Gendry Looked almost as dazed as she felt.</p><p> </p><p>Her eyes lingered on his for a long moment, then the fog seemed to fade and the two of them sat back down.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>He proposed a lot more after that, and each time they shared a kiss. He always seemed to have her “engagement ring” in his back pocket after that day. He started proposing at the park, the beach, and even the animal shelter when they went to pick out a cat to bring home. They ended up with a skittish black kitten called Balrion and the congratulations of all the shelter employees.</p><p> </p><p>Arya would never admit it, but she looked forward to his proposals (and his increasingly heated kisses) more and more with every passing week.</p><p> </p><p>She was coming up on her twenty-sixth birthday when Gendry asked her to drive down to the Stormlands with him. His foster parents still lived down there, a bit inland from the coast, and he tried to visit as often as he could. They got the girl down the hall to watch Balerion for the week, packed up Arya’s car, and started their journey. </p><p> </p><p>Although the Seaworths didn’t live on the coast, Gendry preferred to drive along the water, taking in the view as they went. It wasn’t a particularly long drive, but their winding path was much less direct and Gendry insisted on stopping at all the sights. </p><p> </p><p>He proposed to her four times that day. First at the base of King’s Landing’s oldest lighthouse, then when they stopped for lunch at a beachfront cafe, again at a lookout nestled amongst the cliffs, then for the last time when they stopped to use the bathroom at a rest stop. </p><p> </p><p>Stupid as it was, the last one had been her favorite. There had hardly been anyone around, and certainly not anyone paying any attention, but he had walked up to where she was sitting on the hood of the car and dropped down on one knee in front of her. </p><p> </p><p>“Marry me?”</p><p> </p><p>“Have I ever refused?” </p><p> </p><p>And despite the fact that nobody around them seemed to care what had just apparently happened, he stood up and kissed her anyway. </p><p> </p><p>“Get a room!” someone shouted from across the lot.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry shot them the middle finger and Arya had to laugh against his lips. </p><p> </p><p>It felt so perfect to have Gendry’s lips on hers, his body between her thighs, and his hands in her windswept hair. She crossed her legs behind his back, trying to keep him close and Gendry’s responding sigh told her that he might just want her as much as she wanted him in that moment.</p><p> </p><p>Arya never got to find out what would have happened if they’d stayed like that -- maybe everything she'd been feeling for the past few years would have tumbled out of her mouth and over him in a flood of honey-sweet honesty, but the sky chose that moment to crack open like an egg and pour the first fat drops of rain onto their heads. </p><p> </p><p>They scurried back into the car and Gendry peeled out of the rest stop, letting Arya fiddle with the radio as the headlights made the road in front of them shine. When she finally settled on a station Gendry snatched her hand out of the air and held it in his own, interlacing their fingers as he rested them on the center console. They didn’t talk the rest of the way to the Seaworths’ but Arya didn’t mind. She and Gendry had seldom needed words and that didn’t seem likely to change.</p><p> </p><p>Being together was enough.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>It was still raining when they arrived and Davos scurried out with an umbrella to meet them at the car. Despite how far south they were, the autumn storm still brought a chill and Arya was grateful when Gendry offered her one of his old sweaters from his bedroom closet. Marya fussed over them as much as usual but Arya couldn’t complain. The woman knew her way around a kitchen, that was for sure. She plied them with homemade stew and rolls, then brought out a caramel cheesecake that looked absolutely sinful.</p><p> </p><p>“Just a little piece,” Arya conceded as Gendry did the honors of cutting it up. “Gods, I don’t think I’ve had cheesecake since you proposed in Braavos.”</p><p> </p><p>She realized her mistake the second the words slipped from her mouth. Gendry’s hands froze halfway to her plate and she could have sworn the air in the room stopped moving.</p><p> </p><p>“He <em> what </em>?” Marya exclaimed, snatching Arya’s hand from beneath the table and inspecting it for any sign of an engagement ring. Luckily she had never actually put her fake one back on the last time he’d “proposed” on the way down. </p><p> </p><p>“It was a joke,” Gendry said calmly. “Let her be, Ma.”</p><p> </p><p>“You’re an awful boy getting my hopes up like that,” Marya chided, swatting at his muscular arm as he finally plated Arya’s dessert.</p><p> </p><p>“He’s not a boy, Mar. He’s almost thirty,” Davos reminded her.</p><p> </p><p>“And still not married,” his wife pouted. </p><p> </p><p>Arya hid her smile behind a big bite of cheesecake as the three of them bickered.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll get married when I’m ready,” Gendry insisted.</p><p> </p><p>“And what exactly are you waiting for? Divine intervention?”</p><p> </p><p>“Would you just drop it, Ma?”</p><p> </p><p>Marya snagged her own slice of cheesecake with a sigh. “Fine, but if this goes on much longer, I’m setting you up with my friend Val’s daughter. We want grandchildren, Gendry. Soon.”<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>“Enough, love,” Davos said, and Gendry shot him a grateful look. </p><p> </p><p>They turned the topic of conversation to Gendry’s business and Arya’s recent work, chatting until the older two excused themselves for bed. </p><p> </p><p>She and Gendry headed upstairs to get ready to sleep as well, standing side-by-side in front of the bathroom sink as they brushed their teeth and washed up for the night.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sorry about Marya,” he said sheepishly, glancing at her in the mirror. “She can be a little intense about the marriage thing. I guess she’s worried I’m not going to procrete before she dies and then her life will be incomplete.”</p><p> </p><p>“Purely selfless reasons, I see.”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Gendry let out a little snort of amusement. “Of course. Plus she’s convinced that you and I would make the most beautiful babies ever.”</p><p> </p><p>Arya set down the towel she’d been drying her face with and considered the two of them in the mirror for a moment. In her head she could see a little girl with her grey eyes and mischievous smile, and Gendry’s light freckles and black hair.</p><p> </p><p>“We really would, though,” she had to admit. It didn’t help that she’d been having some baby fever of her own lately. Their downstairs neighbor had just given birth to a little boy that Arya sometimes watched while she ran errands. He was the sweetest little thing, with big brown eyes and dark curls. She hardly wanted to put him down when his mother returned. </p><p> </p><p>She glanced up again and found Gendry’s eyes trained on hers in the mirror. “You still want kids?”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course,” she said with a shrug. “I guess it’s just not in the cards.”</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean?”</p><p><br/>
<br/>
“Gendry, I’ve dated one person since I graduated and it lasted less than six months. Clearly the gods just don’t think I’m motherhood material, or I’d have someone in my life who’s willing to <em> make me </em> a mother.”</p><p> </p><p>She caught the way that his dark eyes tracked her face and the fleeting thought that maybe she <em> did </em> crossed her mind for just a moment.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re only twenty-five, Arya. You’re hardly a shrivelled up old crone.”</p><p> </p><p>She let a frustrated puff of breath pass through her lips. “I know, I just… I’m getting impatient, you know? I know I want kids, I know I want to get married, but it feels like I’m just sitting at a terminal and waiting for a train that’s not coming.”</p><p> </p><p>“Arry…” His voice was soft, but his eyes were even softer.</p><p> </p><p>“Sorry, that’s stupid…”</p><p> </p><p>“No. No, it’s not stupid at all,” he said, drawing her gently into his arms.</p><p> </p><p>Immediately she felt the relief that always came with his embrace. She let her face rest against his chest as she breathed in his familiar scent. </p><p> </p><p>“Look at me,” Gendry said, stepping back and placing his hands on her shoulders. “You’re going to have it all one day, I know it. The marriage, the kids, all of it. Just give yourself a little time, okay?”</p><p> </p><p>She gave a little sniff, then nodded. “Okay. But if I’m still single by thirty, I’m making you propose to me for real,” she half joked.</p><p> </p><p>He cracked a soft smile and tapped a finger against the tip of her nose, making Arya scrunch up her face. “Just say the word, Arry. Now let’s get to bed, yeah?”</p><p> </p><p>They said their good nights and parted ways in the hall, Gendry to his room and Arya to the guest room. She changed into her pajamas and crawled into the bed but sleep wouldn’t come. Her mind was awash with worries and confusion and even the rain pounding against the roof overhead couldn’t drown them out. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually she gave up and rose again, creeping across the hall as silently as she could. Gendry stirred when she eased the door open and pushed up on his elbows to see her.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey,” he said quietly, voice rough from sleep. “Can’t sleep?”</p><p> </p><p>Arya shook her head, suddenly self-conscious about her decision. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry pulled the sheets back and her worry dissolved. “C’mere.”</p><p> </p><p>She crawled in next to him and Gendry pulled her against his side so that her head was resting on his chest. </p><p> </p><p>“Something wrong?”</p><p> </p><p>That was the question, wasn’t it? It really depended on one’s definition of “wrong,” actually. Was vividly imagining a life with your  best friend the point that you couldn’t get the image of your hypothetical children out of your head enough to sleep considered wrong?</p><p> </p><p>Then yeah, something was wrong. Not that she could really tell him that. It wasn’t Gendry’s fault she was romantically frustrated. She thought for a moment that he might understand if she told him what was going on in her brain, but pushed the thought away. She and Gendry had had pretty equally underwhelming dating lives, especially since they’d moved in together. It couldn’t be helped. If it wasn’t school taking up all their time, it was work, and Gendry had put so much of his extra time into getting his own business up and running. </p><p> </p><p>She figured their romantic lives had just been collateral damage along their paths to success, but Arya couldn’t find it in herself to regret that. She couldn’t imagine wanting to spend her nights and weekends with anyone else. She didn’t want to eat breakfast with someone else at the table, or play stupid trivia games with somene else on Friday nights. She didn’t want anyone else carrying her to bed when she passed out on movie nights or holding back her hair when she got the flu.</p><p> </p><p>The realization hit her harder than the pounding rain against the roof. Maybe there had never really been anyone else because she didn’t <em> want </em> anyone else. She wanted Gendry, every morning and every night.</p><p> </p><p>But that truth was too big for the room he had grown up in, so Arya lied and said, “it’s just the rain.”</p><p> </p><p>“Snow storms are a little quieter, hmm?”</p><p> </p><p> Arya hummed in agreement and Gendry pressed a kiss to the top of her head. It sent warmth cascading all the way down to her toes.</p><p> </p><p>“Sweet dreams, Arry.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>The rain had slowed to a drizzle by the time she woke up. She rolled over in bed to see the curtains drawn back a bit, revealing a hazy grey sky. Gendry was gone, she realized as she stretched, feeling around the bed for any sign of him. Sitting up, she spotted him hunched over the desk with a pencil in hand and a mug sitting nearby.</p><p> </p><p>There was a matching one on the nightstand nearest to her and Arya knew it contained tea, unlike Gendry’s hot cup of coffee. Grinning at his thoughtfulness, she rose from the bed and made her way over to him with the mug clutched between her hands. </p><p> </p><p>He was still in his pajamas - a plain t-shirt and flannel pants - and his hair was messed up from sleep. He hadn’t shaved in a while either, so she knew there would be a generous amount of stubble across his jaw, though she couldn’t see his face.</p><p> </p><p>When she reached him, Arya leaned over and kissed the top of his head, just like he had done to her the night before.</p><p> </p><p>He blindly grabbed at her hand, squeezing it in greeting.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you working on?” She asked, peering over his shoulder at the pages spread out in front of him. The desk was littered with new jewelry designs, still in sketch form but soon to be brought to life. He seemed focused on rings at the moment, which was no surprise. Engagement rings were guaranteed to sell year-round and were a staple for most jewelers. </p><p> </p><p>“Just playing with some new ring designs,” he said, shuffling through to show her the ones he had finished already. </p><p> </p><p>Arya looked them over as she sipped her tea, admiring the more geometric qualities of the set of sketches. There was a cluster style ring with a few different cuts featured that Arya liked a lot. </p><p> </p><p>“I was thinking of offering it in a few colors,” Gendry said. “A blue version with sapphires and aquamarine, a green one with emeralds and alexandrite, purple with iolite and amethyst… you get the idea.”</p><p> </p><p>“That’s genius. A variation in tones would make it even prettier, and people will want to buy them with the recipient’s birthstone.”</p><p> </p><p>They lapsed back into silence as Gendry went back to work and Arya thumbed through the sketches some more. </p><p> </p><p>“This one’s different,” she said, pausing at what was obviously meant to be an engagement ring. The center stone was an asscher cut with a trio of emerald cut stones along either side, growing smaller as they went down the band.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, I’ve been trying my hand at some more art deco designs,” he said. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s pretty,” Arya said, handing the sketch back to him. It was a bit flashy for her personal tastes, but she could still admire it, even if it wasn’t something she would wear herself. “I like the asscher in the center.”<br/>
<br/>
Gendry grinned up at her. “I know it’s your favorite.”</p><p> </p><p>“Asscher is the new emerald cut,” she said loftily.</p><p> </p><p>“So you keep telling me. I have another one… here.” He handed her another sketch. “It’s still art deco inspired, but a little simpler.”</p><p> </p><p>The sketch featured another asscher cut diamond, though this one sat alone on a split-shank band with delicate detailing. Even in 2D it was stunning and Arya knew it would be breathtaking once Gendry decided to bring it to life in his shop.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s beautiful,” she said, not shy about letting her admiration for the piece slip through. “Really, Gendry, it’s gorgeous.”</p><p> </p><p>“Really? I wasn’t sure about it. I thought maybe a different cut might be better, but-”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s perfect,” Arya said, cutting off his doubt-filled thoughts. “Don’t change a thing.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright,” he eventually agreed, taking the drawing back and handing her another. “”How do you like this one? I’ve been looking for ways to put a twist on solitaires.”</p><p> </p><p>By the time they were done, they’d teased an entire art deco line of engagement rings from the drawings, as well as a few multicolor pieces that Arya knew were going to sell like hotcakes as the holidays approached. </p><p> </p><p>“You know, if you ever get sick of translating, I could use your eye at the shop,” Gendry said.</p><p> </p><p>“You already have my eye at home,” she reminded him.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, but I miss your eyes when I'm at work.”</p><p> </p><p>Arya forced a laugh and ruffled his hair as they both pretended it was all a joke.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Their time at the Seaworths’ was too short-lived, as always, but Gendry had to get back to the shop and Balerion was waiting for them to get home. Gendry didn’t propose to her again while they were there, or on the way back, but she had spent every night in his bed listening to the steady beating of his heart as she fell asleep. If Davos and Marya noticed that she hadn’t slept in the guest room all week, they didn’t mention it.</p><p> </p><p>She and Gendry fell into a comfortable rhythm after arriving back at home, though neither of them mentioned the fact that they had gotten much more tactile. Sometimes they would lock eyes as they cooked together or walked side-by-side and Arya thought he might kiss her again. He never did though, and to her disappointment he stopped proposing as well. It was bittersweet and confusing to go from being friends who sometimes kissed after fake proposals to friends who cuddled on the couch every night but didn’t dare kiss again. </p><p> </p><p>Thankfully, work and family kept Arya busy and two months had passed before she knew it. Her parents were in town for the first time in ages and Arya had gotten them a reservation at a swanky new restaurant downtown and invited Gendry to join them. He had always been a bit hesitant around her mother, but liked her father well enough to make up for it, so he’d agreed. </p><p> </p><p>As she put the finishing touches on her makeup Arya started to worry that he might be late. She considered sending a text but talked herself out of it. He knew when they needed to leave and how long it would take him to get ready and she didn’t need to mother him. No sooner had she thought it than she heard the door to the apartment open and Balerion meow for attention in the way he only did for Gendry. </p><p> </p><p>“Sorry I took so long, I had to run an errand and then I realized I forgot something at the shop and had to go back for it,” he explained. “I just have to change and I’ll be ready to go.”</p><p> </p><p>“Alright, I’m almost ready,” she said, leaning towards the open bathroom door.</p><p> </p><p>After twisting back a few bits of hair into a simple but elegant style, she slipped into her dress for the night and went to pick out jewelry from the box on her dresser. Most of it was stuff that she had bought or been gifted by her family, but several were from Gendry too. She didn’t know how, but he always seemed to know what styles she would like best. In the end she went with a pair of diamond studs from her father and a necklace Gendry had made for her out of lab grown sapphires. The pendant rested perfectly against her sternum and matched the deep blue of her dress perfectly. </p><p> </p><p>“Arry, you ready?”</p><p> </p><p>“Coming,” she called, grabbing a pair of silver heels from her closet and her purse from the bed.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry was waiting by the door in a black suit that made him look absolutely devastating. His hair had been tamed for the occasion and she could smell the cologne she liked so much when she stepped closer.</p><p> </p><p>“You clean up nicely,” she teased as she steadied herself against his shoulder and pulled on her heels.</p><p> </p><p>“Thanks,” Gendry chuckled, then added in a more serious tone, “you look beautiful, Ar.”</p><p> </p><p>She felt her cheeks warm, but didn’t try to brush off the compliment. “Thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll drive if you want,” he offered and Arya agreed. She hated driving in heels.</p><p> </p><p>The drive to the restaurant was quiet, save for the radio softly playing in the background. Gendry seemed deep in thought as he navigated the streets of the city, so Arya decided it was better not to bother him with idle chatter. She was content to watch the world outside her window anyway. </p><p> </p><p>They handed the car over to a valet after arriving and Gendry helped her out onto the sidewalk. She tried to hide her grin when he continued holding her hand as they approached the door. The hostess led them towards a table near the center of the dining area where Arya’s parents were already waiting for them.</p><p> </p><p>“You look lovely,” Catelyn siad, holding Arya at arm’s length before pulling her in for a hug. Her mother was dressed in a more modest dress of emerald green chiffon. It made her hair look extra fiery, Arya thought.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry was greeting Ned off to the side, shaking his hand and mumbling something she couldn’t hear. Her father let out a laugh at whatever it was and patted the younger man on the shoulder. After a moment they traded spots and Ned pulled Arya into a hug.</p><p> </p><p>“You look beautiful, sweetheart. And happy. I worry sometimes,” he said, holding her chin so he could study her face. Arya’s chest ached at the new gray hairs mixed in with the brown and the deepening lines next to his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m fine, Dad. Very happy, I promise.”</p><p> </p><p>They sat after that and someone scurried over to take their drink orders. Ned and Catelyn both asked about their jobs, trying to gauge how things were going. Arya couldn't help but brag about the success of Gendry’s shop and the new pieces that would be available soon, and he boasted about her success in turn. </p><p> </p><p>By the time their food arrived, all four had done their fair share of catching up with one another.</p><p> </p><p>“How was your trip? I saw that you two went down to the Stormlands a while ago,” Catelyn said.</p><p> </p><p>“She’s on ‘the Insta’ now,” Ned added.</p><p> </p><p>Arya bit back her laughter. “It was great, Mom. We had a lot of fun.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, when we weren’t getting rained on,” Gendry added.</p><p> </p><p>Arya shrugged and gave him a soft smile. “I didn’t mind the rain.”</p><p> </p><p>The grin he gave her in return told her that they were thinking the exact same thing. Despite how… odd things had become between them since they returned, Arya had never felt more comfortable with Gendry. She couldn’t help but think that the night that she had crawled into his bed just might have been the start of it all.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry helped her recount some of their adventures from the trip while they finished their meals. Some of the stories made her parents laugh, like when she told him how he’d slipped and fallen on his ass while they were watching the boats from a dock near his parents’ house. Others simply made them smile, like the one about their afternoon spent baking in the kitchen with Marya. </p><p> </p><p>“It sounds like you had a wonderful time,” Catelyn said. “I know it’s a bit further away, but we would love for you two to come visit us next summer.”</p><p> </p><p>Arya nearly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Her mother had always been a bit cold to Gendry. Never outright rude or dismissive, but certainly aloof. To hear her obviously invite him to Winterfell made her do a double take.</p><p> </p><p>“I’d love that,” Gendry said while Arya was still reeling from her mother’s unexpected invitation. He looked over at her expectantly and she nodded in agreement, though it was purely an instinctive response.</p><p> </p><p>She glanced over to her father to see if he was as baffled as her, but he was already looking at Gendry with a pointed expression on his face. Arya looked at him too, though her own face now carried about a dozen questions.</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, what am I missing? Someone clearly forgot to let me in on the joke here,” she said, trying to keep her voice light despite her confusion. She didn’t want to cast any accusations, but it felt like everyone else at the table knew something she didn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry took a deep breath. “Arry, I haven’t been completely honest with you. Your parents aren’t here just to visit, I asked them to come.”</p><p> </p><p>Now she was even more confused. Was this some sort of intervention?</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t understand. Why would you ask them to come all the way down here?”</p><p> </p><p>“Because I wanted them to be here when I did this,” he said, rising from his chair, then kneeling on the ground in front of her.</p><p> </p><p>Arya’s heart stopped for what felt like a full minute. Was he really going to do this in front of her parents? How was she supposed to explain that it wasn’t real? They were going to be pissed when they found out it was all a scam!</p><p> </p><p>“Arya, you’ve been my best friend for over a decade and you know better than anyone that my dating life has been … well, pretty  nonexistent. I used to think I just had bad luck, but I’ve realized over the past few years that it’s not true. I couldn’t commit to anyone because the only person I really wanted had been standing next to me the whole time. I love my job, you know that, but I love coming home to you every night even more. I want your face to be the first thing I see every morning and the last thing I see before I fall asleep every night.”</p><p> </p><p>He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny box and Arya thought she might actually pass out. Her heart was breaking knowing that he was saying everything she wanted to hear and more, and that he didn’t mean it. </p><p> </p><p>Surely he didn’t mean it. Unless…</p><p> </p><p>Gendry opened the box and Arya’s heartbeat stuttered again. Where her fake engagement ring usually sat amongst the black velvet there was now a delicately embellished band of white gold framing a diamond that twinkled even in the low lighting of the restaurant. She had loved it in the drawings he had shown her at his parents’ house, but it was even more gorgeous in person.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> If you gave me something that actually suited me, I wouldn't want to take it off… </em>
</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>“I love you, Arya. And I don’t want to wait five years to fulfill some sort of pact -- I didn’t even want to wait the few weeks it took me to finish your ring. So I’m asking you one last time, will you marry me?”</p><p> </p><p>Any doubt she’d had before was washed away by the look on his face, as if his whole world hinged on what she said next.  </p><p> </p><p>He loved her.</p><p> </p><p>He wanted to be with her.</p><p> </p><p>All of it was as real as the diamond he had set in her ring.</p><p> </p><p>“Yes,” she choked out and that was all it took for her entire world to turn right side up. </p><p> </p><p>Gendry rose from the ground, pulling her up with him so he could tug her into his arms. Arya went willingly, of course, and buried her face into the side of his neck as she willed away the tears in her eyes. It was no use.</p><p> </p><p>He must have felt the first ones fall onto his neck because he pulled away and held her face in his free hand, brushing the tears away with his thumb.</p><p> </p><p>He nodded down at the ring in his other hand. “Can I put this on you?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yes please.”</p><p> </p><p>They laughed together out of sheer joy and at the deeply ingrained manners that seemed to pop up in Arya at the oddest times. It took only a moment for Gendry to pull the ring from its box and slip it onto her hand, but Arya could barely take her eyes off of it. At least until Gendry tilted her chin up and kissed her like they were the only two people in the room.</p><p> </p><p>There was champagne and dessert and congratulations, but it all felt like a blur to Arya. All she could focus on was the love in Gendry’s eyes and the ring that now sat perfectly on her finger. </p><p> </p><p>Eventually her parents led them outside to wait for the valet to fetch their cars. </p><p> </p><p>“Congratulations,” her father whispered as he hugged her tightly. “You two are going to be so happy together.”</p><p> </p><p>“We’re so happy for you,” Catelyn added. </p><p> </p><p>There were a few more happy tears as they said their goodbyes for the night and Arya hoped she would have her emotions better under control when they met up to visit the local museums in the morning. Finally her car came and Gendry offered to drive again, which Arya agreed to.</p><p> </p><p>It seemed to hit her all over again once they settled into the quiet car and all she could do was stare down at her left hand as Gendry navigated the crowded streets of the city.</p><p> </p><p>“It doesn’t feel real,” she murmured, staring at the colorful street lights refracting through the diamond on her hand.</p><p> </p><p>Gendry reached out and brought her hands to his lips. “I’ll remind you it is whenever you want me to,” he assured her.</p><p> </p><p>Arya studied his face and their eyes met as he waited for a red light to change. The blend of love and heat that she found there told her that she would be spending the night in his room again. She didn’t plan on doing much sleeping. </p><p> </p><p>The light turned green and Gendry propelled the car forward once again, but held on to her hand. </p><p> </p><p>Her mind drifted as they drove in near silence and took her back to that night at the Seaworths’ when she had disclosed her deepest fears to him -- that she wasn’t meant to be loved, that she wasn’t meant to be a mother -- and he had sworn to her that all of her dreams would come true. Maybe she’d suspected in the moment, in some deep and unexplored part of her mind, that he would be the one to make them come true, but she could have never guessed outright.</p><p> </p><p>She had no doubt that he would keep his word.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>
  <em> Five Years Later </em>
</p><p><br/>
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</p><p>Arya had always loved Pentos. It was beautiful and vibrant and constantly alight with color. Now, as she stared out over the Narrow Sea from her hotel room, all she could think was that she was on the wrong side of the water. </p><p> </p><p>It was just one week, she tried to remind herself, then she’d be flying home. It was still odd to think of the Stormlands as home, but Gendry had wanted to be closer to his parents and both of them worked mostly from home anyway. Still, her home was where her family was, which meant it was in Storm’s End now. It was hardly the worst place to live, and she always had Gendry there to hold her when the rains came.</p><p> </p><p>The chime of her phone disrupted her thoughts and Arya picked it up to see that Gendry had sent a video. She pressed play and couldn’t stop smiling at what she saw. Lyra had an entire box of bandages open in front of her and was carefully extracting them one by one. She pulled a pink one free and the camera turned so she could see their daughter adhere it to Gendry’s forehead and plant a kiss over top of it.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Gendry: Future doctor?</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Arya: Oh my gods, we’re making another one the second I get home!</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Gendry: Fine by me, love.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p>Marya had been right about them having beautiful babies. Lyra was the perfect mix of her and Gendry and too adorable to be real sometimes. Arya could hardly believe this life was hers sometimes. Gendry’s business was better than ever, and he’d even taken on a few employees, she had her dream job, the best husband she could have ever asked for, and a daughter that she loved beyond all sense and reason. It was basically… perfect.</p><p> </p><p>And to think it was all because they wanted some free drinks.</p>
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